Picture your annual medical check-up, sometime in the future. You stop by your doctor's office and with a quick prick of the needle, you provide a tiny drop of blood. That's it, you're done. Thanks to advances in genetic research, gene-based diagnostic tests on that one drop of blood will provide far more information about the state of your health than a battery of tests do today. Sound far-fetched? Well, it may be closer than you think. Earlier this year, scientists successfully mapped the entire human genome for the first time—a research advance that experts predict will make possible this advanced diagnostic tool, along with cures for most diseases and ways to dramatically control the aging process.

A genome is a strand of DNA with three billion chemical parts—found in the nucleus of every human cell—which serves as a blueprint for the genetic code that makes us unique human beings. The completion of this 10-year mapping effort is expected to further fuel the genetic revolution that is sweeping research labs around the world, bringing major breakthroughs in preventing and treating health problems from allergies to Alzheimer's disease. Advances predicted to come from our better understanding of human biology include:

• discovery of disease-causing genes that may uncover ways to treat diseases as diverse as asthma, cancer and Parkinson's;
• better understanding of disease markers that may help doctors start treatment earlier (even before symptoms appear) for better outcomes;
• use of genetic information to help prescreen a patient's likely response to prescription medicines, thereby improving therapies and avoiding adverse reactions;
• using our own stem cells to bioengineer new organs and body parts when the old ones no longer function properly;
• boosting the average American's lifespan from 76 years to 90 or 95 years by mid-century and to 150 years by 2100;
• deconstructing" aging from a seemingly unstoppable process into separate and treatable elements, such as brain disease or muscle disease, in order to improve the quality of old age; and,
• giving people specific information on their own personal health risks, allowing them to make better decisions about health-influencing lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet and exercise—so additional years can be spent in healthy, independent living.

The first breakthroughs may well come in diseases caused by a single mutated gene, such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease. Other, more complex diseases will take longer. While there's no way to put a timeline on discovery, the mapping of the genome has refocused the energy of scientists, moving us a lot closer to a future of better health and more comfortable aging.

More about
Genomics

• Biotechnology in Health Care
• Pharmacogenomics: Medicine & the New Genetics

Sites to Visit

• National Human Genome Research Institute
• Human Genome Project